West Virginia University Named #1 Party School … School Administrators Red Faced

Well at least they are #1 in something. The Mountaineers of the University of West Virginia have been named the #1 Party School of 2007 according to The Princeton Review. With the staggering increase of college tuitions these days,

To the disappointment of school administrators — and the pride of some students — West Virginia University is No. 1 on The Princeton’s Review’s annual list of the top 20 party schools.

The school has made the list seven times in the past 15 years, despite efforts to curb underage drinking and rowdy behavior.

But not since 1997 have the Mountaineers taken the top spot. Last year, WVU was No. 3, bested by the University of Texas at Austin and Penn State, both of which remain in the top 10 this year.

Senior Katie O’Hara, 22, said WVU is No. 1 because “no matter what kind of party you want it’s here — bars, fraternities, house parties. … If you want to take shots all night, there’s a bar; no matter what you want to do, it’s there.”

Incoming school president tried to put forth his best spin stating that the students he met were interested in other things rather than drinking. Of course President Garrison that’s what the students said “you met”, the others you did not meet were off drinking.

Incoming WVU President Mike Garrison focused on the positive rather than the rankings, saying the students he met over the weekend and on the first day of classes Monday are more concerned with their futures “and with the great year we have ahead” than with partying.

“I’m focused on the way this university changes people’s lives, the research that we do and the service we provide to the state of West Virginia,” said Garrison, who officially replaces David C. Hardesty Jr. on Sept. 1. “This is a special place, and the whole state is proud of it.”